# Antibody guides

> Guides on antibody structure, engineering, humanization, and design tools.

- [How much do monoclonal antibodies cost?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/monoclonal-antibody-cost): Monoclonal antibody treatment averaged about $96,700 a year at US list price, from under $600 per preventive dose to over $12,500 per cancer dose. See how Medicare rates compare with manufacturing costs.
- [What is antibody engineering?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/what-is-antibody-engineering): Antibody engineering changes an antibody's sequence or structure to improve binding, reduce immunogenicity, tune effector function or create new formats. Learn the core techniques and computational workflows.
- [What is Chai-2? De novo antibody design explained](https://proteiniq.io/guides/what-is-chai-2): Understand what Chai-2 designs, what its experimental hit rates mean, how access works, and which open tools address related antibody and protein binder tasks.
- [Antibody variable regions: VH, VL, CDRs and frameworks](https://proteiniq.io/guides/antibody-variable-regions): Learn how VH and VL form the antibody variable region, how CDRs and frameworks divide each domain, how variable regions are generated, and what sequence analysis can establish.
- [Fab and Fc regions of an antibody: structure and function](https://proteiniq.io/guides/fab-and-fc-regions-of-an-antibody): Learn where the Fab and Fc regions are, which domains they contain, what they bind, how papain and pepsin create antibody fragments, and why the distinction matters in antibody engineering.
- [How many types of antibodies are there?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/how-many-types-of-antibodies-are-there): The human body has five antibody classes. Compare the structures, locations, functions, and subclasses of IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE.
- [What are antibodies?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/what-are-antibodies): Learn what antibodies are, how they differ from antigens, how their structure enables binding, how B cells produce them, and how scientists analyze them.
- [What are monoclonal antibodies?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/what-are-monoclonal-antibodies): Learn what monoclonal antibodies are, how they differ from polyclonal antibodies, how hybridoma and recombinant production work, and how antibody specificity is validated.
- [What is the molecular weight of an antibody?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/antibody-molecular-weight): A typical IgG antibody weighs about 150 kDa. Compare the molecular weights of IgG, IgM, IgA, Fab, Fc, and other antibody forms.
- [How long does a western blot take?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/how-long-does-a-western-blot-take): A western blot can be completed in one working day, but many laboratory protocols run across two days because the primary antibody incubates overnight at 4°C.
- [How many monoclonal antibodies are FDA approved?](https://proteiniq.io/guides/how-many-monoclonal-antibodies-are-fda-approved): The FDA had approved 169 antibody-based biologics by the end of 2025. The total includes 113 IgG-based antibodies, 15 bispecifics, 14 antibody-drug conjugates, and other antibody formats.